Global Warming

An Unwarned Warning for Generations

Global Warming

An Unwarned Warning for Generations

Greenhouse Gas: Too much of a Problem!

Although Earth's atmosphere is 90% opaque to long wave IR radiation, the vast majority of the atmosphere is not composed of gases that cause the greenhouse effect. Molecular nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) make up roughly 98% of our atmosphere, and neither is a greenhouse gas. So, although the greenhouse effect is very powerful, a very small fraction of Earth's atmospheric gases generate the effect.

What are the main greenhouse gases?

Because of all the press coverage it has received in recent years, you may think that carbon dioxide (CO2) is "the big one". Though CO2's role is important, water vapor is actually the dominant greenhouse gas in Earth's atmosphere. Water vapor generates more greenhouse effect on our planet than does any other single gas. Water, in gaseous form (as water vapor) and in liquid form (as tiny droplets in clouds), generates somewhere between 66% and 85% of the greenhouse effect. After water vapor, what are the most important greenhouse gases? In rough order of importance

and size of effect, the major ones are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and ozone (O3).

There are a number of other gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect to a lesser extent. These "lesser greenhouse gases" include nitrous oxide (N2O), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

So, let's put it this way:

Water Vapor is the main (and the largest, in quantity) greenhouse gas, unlike what other people thinks, Carbon Dioxide.

Carbon Dioxide is also a main greenhouse gas. Together, H2O Vapor and CO2, makes up over 83% of our total greenhouse gas.

Other major gases are Methane (CH4), Ozone, (O3).

There are also some minimal gases, such as N2O, SF6, ...

Global Warming: Hidden Danger for Centuries! (Late 19th Century and Early 20th Century)

1800-1870

Level of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the atmosphere, as later measured in ancient ice, is about 290 ppm (parts per million).

Mean global temperature (1850-1870) is about 13.6°C.

First Industrial Revolution. Coal, railroads, and land clearing speed up greenhouse gas emission, while better agriculture and sanitation speed up population growth.

1824

Fourier calculates that the Earth would be far colder if it lacked an atmosphere.

1859

Tyndall discovers that some gases block infrared radiation. He suggests that changes in the concentration of the gases could bring climate change.

1896

Arrhenius publishes first calculation of global warming from human emissions of CO2.

1897

Chamberlin produces a model for global carbon exchange including feedbacks.

1870-1910

Second Industrial Revolution. Fertilizers and other chemicals, electricity, and public health further accelerate growth.

1914-1918

World War I; governments learn to mobilize and control industrial societies.

Calculations suggest that feedback with water vapor could make the climate acutely sensitive to changes in CO2 level.

1965

Boulder, Colo. meeting on causes of climate change: Lorenz and others point out the chaotic nature of climate system and the possibility of sudden shifts.

1966

Emiliani's analysis of deep-sea cores and Broecker's analysis of ancient corals show that the timing of ice ages was set by small orbital shifts, suggesting that the climate system is sensitive to small changes.

1967

International Global Atmospheric Research Program established, mainly to gather data for better short-range weather prediction, but including climate.

Manabe and Wetherald make a convincing calculation that doubling CO2 would raise world temperatures a couple of degrees.

1968

Studies suggest a possibility of collapse of Antarctic ice sheets, which would raise sea levels catastrophically.

1969

Astronauts walk on the Moon, and people perceive the Earth as a fragile whole.

Deadly summer heat wave in Europe accelerates divergence between European and US public opinion.

2004

First major books, movie and art work featuring global warming appear (An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore book and movie))

2005

Kyoto treaty goes into effect, signed by major industrial nations except US. Work to retard emissions accelerates in Japan, Western Europe, US regional governments and corporations .

Hurricane Katrina and other major tropical storms spur debate over impact of global warming on storm intensity.

2006

In longstanding "hockey stick" controversy, scientists conclude post-1980 global warming was unprecedented for centuries or more. The rise could not be attributed to changes in solar energy.

"An Inconvenient Truth" documentary persuades many but sharpens political polarization.

2007

Fourth IPCC report warns that serious effects of warming have become evident; cost of reducing emissions would be far less than the damage they will cause.

Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover found to be shrinking faster than expected.

2009

Many experts warn that global warming is arriving at a faster and more dangerous pace than anticipated just a few years earlier. Excerpts from stolen e-mails of climate scientists fuel public skepticism.

Mean global temperature is 14.6°C, the warmest in hundreds, and probably thousands of years.

Don't Worry, Global Warming can be STOPPED as easy as chewing a candy!

THESE GOALS ARE AS FOR YOU TO DO, NOT TO LOOK AT!

People should use less water. If they were making a soup and needs water, just fill in that water an turn off the faucet. If they were brushing their teeth, they should turn off the water immidiately, only turn on when they need it. Why? It will save you money, and wasting water means the clean water will have to be processed all over again, because it is mixed with dirty water in the river, and the chemicals used is mostly Chlorine, which is a very, VERY, VERY harmful greenhouse gas.

Cars engine should be all compatible to biofuel (methane, propane, water, solar power, ...), to release the amount of carbon monoxide, or carbon dioxide or methane emitted in the air, which makes up greenhouse gas.

Try to make safe, VERY safe nuclear plants, because nuclear plants will release no pollution in the air, but when they explode, it will be tragic.

Use compact fluorescent bulb, because it will cut back 75% of your carbon footprint (electricity factories releases it, and you’re using it.)

At shopping malls or grocery stores, charge people for plastic bags, or paper bags, give away free canvas bag for one period of time, so everybody can breathe cleaner air, since paper bag is made from virgin pulp, which can only be made from newly cut trees, and plastic bags take a very long time to decompose, and it releases pollution to process petroleum, the most basic form of plastic.

I will make posters to educate people about global warming, because people will have an understanding about our environment better.

Everybody should only use A/C if they need to (try to make it >6h/week, the lesser, the better). It will cut you off more than 50% of your electricity bill (compared to 10h/week). It also releases less carbon dioxide, and that can reduce global warming a whole lot if everybody do this!

We should change the school’s paper type (>30% post-consumer waste). It would be cheaper and more energy-efficient to use that, since the processes to producing paper creates a lot of CO2, so we don't have to cut down trees, as trees absorbs CO2.

Figure 1:

As you can see, Greenhouse Gases are composed by different gases, not one big chunk. The different major gases are H2O Vapor, CO2, CH4, N2O, O3, and much more. Lesser gases are used in aerosols (compound harmful chemical gas) like SF6, ... can make you have severe lung cancer, asthma, ...

Caption 2:

World War II. This is when they emitted a whole lot of CO2, because the cannons emit smoke, bombs emit smoke, vehicles emit smoke, everything in the warfare involves with smoke.

Caption 3:

Although walking on the moon is a huge step for human kind, it does not help with our environment. It also harms the environment, because launching a emits a lot of CO, CO2, N2O, and other poisonous compound gases.

Figure 1:

As you can see, Greenhouse Gases are composed by different gases, not one big chunk. The different major gases are H2O Vapor, CO2, CH4, N2O, O3, and much more. Lesser gases are used in aerosols (compound harmful chemical gas) like SF6, ... can make you have severe lung cancer, asthma, ...

Caption 2:

World War II. This is when they emitted a whole lot of CO2, because the cannons emit smoke, bombs emit smoke, vehicles emit smoke, everything in the warfare involves with smoke.

Caption 3:

Although walking on the moon is a huge step for human kind, it does not help with our environment. It also harms the environment, because launching a emits a lot of CO, CO2, N2O, and other poisonous compound gases.

Caption 4:

Global Warming can cause severe drought, because water keeps evaporating and evaporating, until there is no water left. It is very dangerous because it damages many farms, many crops, and also our natural habitat.

Caption 5:

The polar ice caps began to melt, and then it can flood all of the low-atitude places. Animals that depend on the polar ice caps dies away thanks to Global Warming. There are two penguins (shown in Figure 5) who struggles to find food.

Figure 6:

The Keeling Curve. Ahhh, thanks to Charles David Keeling, we then can know how much damage we had done to the environments. CO2 concentration is now over the permitted level (~220 ppm)

Caption 4:

Global Warming can cause severe drought, because water keeps evaporating and evaporating, until there is no water left. It is very dangerous because it damages many farms, many crops, and also our natural habitat.

Caption 5:

The polar ice caps began to melt, and then it can flood all of the low-atitude places. Animals that depend on the polar ice caps dies away thanks to Global Warming. There are two penguins (shown in Figure 5) who struggles to find food.

Figure 6:

The Keeling Curve. Ahhh, thanks to Charles David Keeling, we then can know how much damage we had done to the environments. CO2 concentration is now over the permitted level (~220 ppm)